Thick sheet lamination product for use in exterior automotive body panels

Abstract

An exterior automotive quality paint coat is laminated to the surface of a plastic car body member of panel. A dry paint transfer film is first laminated to a relatively thin semi-rigid thermoformable resinous backing sheet. The backing sheet side of the resulting laminate is then laminated to a relatively thick thermoformable substrate sheet comprising the same or a compatible polymeric material. The two sheets are joined by extruding the thick substrate sheet and using the heat of extrusion to then laminate the thin backing sheet to the thicker extruded substrate sheet. The resulting thick sheet laminate is then thermoformed, preferably by first heating the laminate to a forming temperature, followed by vacuum forming the laminate to a three-dimensional shape of the finished automotive part, such as a facia, ready to put on a vehicle.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An exterior automotive quality body panel or member comprising a dry paint transfer film for providing a layer of color to the exterior of the finished panel or member; 
       a relatively thin semi-rigid polymeric backing sheet adhered to the dry paint transfer film;  
       a relatively thick supporting sheet of a thermoformable polymeric material which has been extruded and laminated to the backing sheet and heat bonded to the backing sheet to form an integral substrate sheet which is thermoformed to a three-dimensional shape with the dry paint transfer film bonded to its outer surface;  
       the backing sheet and extruded supporting sheet comprising compatible polymeric materials to promote the bond between them, the polymeric material of the backing sheet having a lower gel count than the thicker extruded supporting sheet material, the polymeric material of the extruded supporting sheet having a substantially higher filler content than the backing sheet material, the relatively thicker extruded supporting sheet component of the substrate having a thickness at least 40 mils;  
       the thermoformed three-dimensionally contoured body panel or member having an exterior outer surface of exterior automotive quality with a distinctness-of-image of at least about 60 in the absence of appreciable haze caused by thermoforming to its finished shape.  
     
     
       2. The product according to  claim 1  in which the dry paint transfer film comprises a base coat/clear coat film having said distinctness-of-image greater than about 60. 
     
     
       3. The product according to  claim 2  in which the backing sheet has a thickness in the range of about 10 mils to about 30 mils. 
     
     
       4. The product according to  claim 2  in which the supporting sheet is bonded to the backing sheet by the heat of extrusion of the supporting sheet and the laminating pressure in joining the two sheets together as a composite integral sheet. 
     
     
       5. The product according to  claim 1  in which the extruded sheet has thickness at least three times the thickness of the backing sheet. 
     
     
       6. The product according to  claim 1  in which the backing sheet and an adhesive layer are coextruded for bonding to the dry paint transfer film, the dry paint transfer film bonded to the adhesive side of the coextrusion. 
     
     
       7. The product according to  claim 2  in which the clear coat side of the dry paint transfer film comprises an alloy of an acrylic resin and a fluoropolymer resin. 
     
     
       8. The product according to  claim 7  in which the film comprises from about 50 percent to about 70 percent PVDF and about 30 percent to about 50 percent acrylic resin, by weight. 
     
     
       9. An exterior automotive quality body panel or member comprising: 
       a dry paint transfer film for providing a layer of color to the exterior of the finished panel or member;  
       a relatively thin semi-rigid polymeric backing sheet adhered to the dry paint transfer film;  
       a relatively thick supporting sheet of a thermoformable polymeric material which has been extruded and laminated to the backing sheet and heat bonded to the backing sheet to form an integral substrate sheet which is thermoformed to a three-dimensional shape with the dry paint transfer film bonded to its outer surface;  
       the polymeric material of the backing sheet having a lower gel count than the thicker extruded supporting sheet material, the polymeric material of the extruded supporting sheet having a substantially higher filler content than the backing sheet material;  
       the thermoformed three-dimensionally contoured body panel or member having an exterior outer surface of exterior automotive quality in the absence of appreciable haze caused by thermoforming to its finished shape,  
       in which the dry paint transfer film comprises a base coat/clear coat film having a distinctness-of-image greater than about 60,  
       in which the backing sheet has a thickness in the range of about 10 mils to about 30 mils and the relatively thicker supporting sheet has a thickness of at least about 40 mils,  
       in which the polymeric material of the backing sheet has a lower gel count than the thicker extruded sheet material, and  
       in which the clear coat side of the dry paint transfer film comprises a blend of an acrylic resin and a fluoropolymer resin.